Proverbs 11:2121. Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

[A] Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished [1] Throughout the world, people of like minds join together and form groups [a] There are clubs [b] There are civic groups [c] There are religions [d] There are Groups who devise evil [e] There are thieves [e] There are many other peoples who join others of like mind to do what they desire to do [1-a] I heard it once said and I believe it to be true, “You can believe anything you want too, and if you look long enough you can find others who will believe like you do.” [2-a] Unfortunately, what you believe and the group you start does not have ot` be true, or biblical [2] Adolf Hitler wrote books, made speeches and eventually indoctrinated a whole country making them hate the Jewish people and swear their loyalty to Hitler and the country of Germany [3] Evil people often flock together to do their evil deeds [a] The believe there is strength in numbers [b] The more people who agree, the righter they feel about what they are doing [4] Whether it be a religion, or any other group of people who have come together proclaiming or doing what they believe, eventually they will stand before God and answer for what they do and say [a] The wicked will not go unpunished

[B] The seed of the righteous shall be delivered [1] The great thing about living a righteous life is that one does not have to fear God [2] The righteous who have little backing on the earth, and often not that many friends will receive event thing in the end [3] Any way you look at it, the righteous are winners, both here and in the hereafter

Proverbs 11:22 22. As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.

[A] A jewel of gold in a swine's snout [1] When I was young, one of the things I hated to help do was to put rings in the hog’s noses - they squealed and you could tell it hurt them a lot, yet if you did not put it in their nose, they would root out under the fence and run off. [2] One certainly would not have placed a ring of Gold in their snout because the Hog used his snout to do his digging with, and the gold would have been ruined

[B] So is a fair woman which is without discretion [1] Solomon compared a woman who has not discretion to putting gold in the hogs nose. [a] Both are no-no’s [b] If a woman does not guard here beauty and her dignity with honor, she is throwing away the very things God has given her as a gift to here husband, and himself. [c] I have always been appalled by how the young men chase after all the pretty girls, trying to have their way with them, but when it comes time to marry, they look for a virtuous woman, who has not been with others. [d] Putting gold in a Hogs snout is throwing away a thing of beauty, and wasting it. [c] For a woman to not protect her virtue is to throw away her beauty and waste it.

Proverbs 11:23 23. The desire of the righteous is only good: but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.

[A] The desire of the righteous is only good [1] The righteous would have good, only good if they could accomplish it [2] Their desire is that it may go well with everyone around them [3] They desire no hurt to anyone, but happiness to all; as to themselves [4] Their desire is not to gratify evil lust, but to obtain the favor of God

[B] The expectation of the wicked is wrath [1] The wicked are out for themselves [2] They would love for everyone around them to fail so that they could themselves succeed [3] The wicked care for no-one and could care less if others are hurt [4] They are not to find favor in God, only in what they can have for themselves

Proverbs 11:24 24. There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.

[A] There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth [1] When one is generous with what God has blessed them with, and gives liberally to help the poor, God blesses them in return for their faithfulness. [a] You cannot out give God [2] When one is generous to others, he is well loved and respected by others [a] To be loved and respected is great wealth [b] Even is one is poor, when others love him he is wealthy

[B] He who withholds more than is meet, tendeth to poverty. [1] One who has much, can be considered so selfish that they are not loved by those around Them [2] How can someone be loved who has plenty when others are starving [3] To be very rich and have not friends and no-one loving you is worse than being in poverty and having nothing

Proverbs 11:25 25. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

[A] The liberal soul shall be made fat [1] When one is a giver they have comfort in their our own bosoms [2] The liberal soul, the soul of blessing, that prays for the afflicted and provides for them, that scatters blessings with gracious lips and generous hands, is made fat with true pleasure and enriched with more grace from God

[B] He that watereth shall be watered also himself [1] He that waters others with the streams of his bounty shall be also watered himself [2] God will certainly return it in the dews, in the plentiful showers, of his blessing, which he will pour out, till there be not room enough to receive it

Proverbs 11:26 26. He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.

[A] When one has and others do not, and the one who has refused to sell his harvest to others so they can survive, makes the people cruse him [1] What good is having a lot, if those around you are in need? [2] What benefit will one have if God has blessed them, and they have plenty and others are in need? [3] Not only do the people curst them who is selfish, so also does God

[B] When one is willing to share, to sell what they have or to give to those who cannot afford to purchase, [1] God will bless them [2] The people will love them [3] They will gain much more than they lost

Proverbs 11:27 27. He that diligently seeketh good procureth favor: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.

[A] Those who strive to do good in the world are beloved by both God and man

[B] Those who do mischief are preparing themselves for ruin

Proverbs 11:28 28. He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.

[A] We have already looked at several verses that are much the same as this verse

[B] He that trusteth in his riches shall fall [1] When one has only his riches to trust he will be poorly disappointed [a] Jesus said it was harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God then a camel to go through the eye of a needle [2] When one thinks their riches to the amount they give to a church will get them into heaven, they will be fooled. [a] Unless one is born again, and a follower of Jesus, they will not enter heaven [3] Riches may make on comfortable here, but loving one’s riches will take one to hell [a] The love of money is the root of all evil

[C] The righteous shall flourish as a branch. [1] The righteous put their faith and trust in Almighty God instead of in material things. [2] Their #1 thing is to be obedient to God and serve him [3] They may become rich, but they will not hoard what they have, nor will they not help others. [4] The righteous lay their treasures up in heaven

Proverbs 11:29 29. He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.

[A] He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind [1] When one wastes what they have, they will end up with nothing to show for it [2] This verse reminds me of the prodigal who took what he had and wasted it on partying

[B] the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart [1] All a man who cannot save what he has will be is a servant to others [2] When a man wastes what God has given him, he has to depend on the wise to help him

[C] The fool lets his money and all the blessings of God slip through his fingers like wind, [1] He cannot hold it in his hand [2] Like the wind, it slips away, and he cannot keep it.

Proverbs 11:30 30. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

[A] The righteous are as a tree of life [1] The fruits of their charity, their instructions, reproofs, examples, and prayers, their interest in heaven, and their influence on the earth, are like the fruits of that tree, precious and useful, contributing to the support and nourishment of the spiritual life on others [2] They are the ornaments of paradise, God's church on earth, for whose sake it stands.

[B] He that winneth souls is wise [1] He that is wise, by communicating his wisdom, wins souls, [2] Thorough his testimony, people are brought to the love of God and his holiness [3] The bible says “The wise are turn many to righteousness” [a] This is the same as winning souls here

Proverbs 11:31 31. Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.

[A] There are two schools of thought concerning this verse [1] Some believe that both the righteous and the sinner will be punished for their sins here on this earth [a] The righteous who sins would receive chastisement from God and be caused to suffer for his wrong [b] The sinner would receive punishment as well, and much more so [2] The other thought and the one I believe is more accurate concerns the hereafter [a] 1Peter 4:18 18. And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? [b] If a righteous person can scarcely be saved, how much harder will it be for a sinner to make it [c] The righteous shall be rewards for serving God and living rightly [d] The Wicked will suffer for their disbelief and for their lace of following God